PRO FOOTBALL: NOTEBOOK

PRO FOOTBALL: NOTEBOOK; With the Falcons, Mathis Is Getting Quite a Big Reception

By TIMOTHY W. SMITH

Published: October 16, 1994

Every now and then, just for the sheer enjoyment, Terance Mathis of the Atlanta Falcons glances at the individual standings in the National Football League to look at his name at the top of the list of receivers. With 46 receptions Mathis has more catches than such notables as Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, Sterling Sharpe and his teammate, Andre Rison.

"It's kind of wild," said Mathis, whose 46 receptions have gone for 478 yards and 4 touchdowns. "It's really kind of fun to look at once and a while. I'm having fun playing football. I feel really blessed."

He can significantly add to his total when the Falcons play the 49ers this afternoon at the Georgia Dome, because much of the focus will be on Rison working against a former Falcons cornerback, Deion Sanders, who now plays for San Francisco.

Rison and Sanders, once fast friends, have been taking verbal shots at each other all week in anticipation of their matchup. But Mathis, the forgotten man in most defensive game plans this season, could benefit from the attention on the main event.

"I'd say 60 percent of the passes I've caught this year have come because teams have double- or triple-teamed Andre," Mathis said. "Sometimes I'm left in single coverage or completely uncovered. It's been great."

Mathis has free agency, and a bit of foot-dragging on the part of the Jets, to thank for his present status. For four years, he was the Jets' No. 3 receiver, playing behind Rob Moore, Al Toon and Chris Burkett.

In his tenure with the Jets, he never caught more than 28 passes in a season, which he did in 1991, and he scored a total of 4 touchdowns. Now he has a starting slot in the Falcons' four-wideout Red Gun offense and is producing big numbers.

Some would argue that Mathis is benefiting from the Falcons' run-and-shoot offense. He doesn't buy that.

"There are four or five teams that throw the ball more than we do, and their receivers don't have as many catches as I do, so it's not the system," he said. "It's just that you're seeing a player getting an opportunity to make plays."

Mathis never got the opportunity in New York. And although there was no promise that he was going to get it this season, he wanted to return. "Even with free agency, the Jets were my No. 1 priority," said Mathis, a sixth-round pick out of New Mexico in 1990. "I was going to be very loyal to them, because I was grateful for the opportunity they gave me to play."

Mathis said he initially visited a few teams, but backed off once the Jets told him they wanted to re-sign him. Meanwhile, the Jets were busy auditioning "speed receivers" like the free agent Michael Haynes, who, incidentally, wanted out of Atlanta. In the interim, the Jets lost receiver Chris Burkett, who retired when the team asked him to take a pay cut, and they dragged their feet on re-signing Mathis.

"The talks dropped off, and when minicamp started I hadn't heard anything from them and I was getting a little worried, because all of a sudden things were very quiet," Mathis said.

The Falcons called Mathis a second time, and he decided to go to Atlanta for a visit. They made him an offer. He felt an obligation to call the Jets to see if they wanted to counter it. They didn't. The Falcons signed him to a two-year, $1 million deal, which looks like a real bargain right now. Eagles' Defense Is Alive and Well

Not many people outside of the Eagles' locker room thought the Philadelphia defense could stand the departure of defensive end Reggie White, linebacker Seth Joyner and defensive tackle Clyde Simmons and still remain competitive. But the Eagles have fooled everyone so far.

The defense is ranked No. 2 over all in the N.F.L. and No. 2 against the run. It will get a stern test against the Cowboys, which has the No. 1 ranked offense in the league, this afternoon at Texas Stadium.

Linebacker Byron Evans and cornerback Eric Allen are the only two starters remaining from a group that three years ago was one of the most feared in the league.

The Eagles added some quality players this season: defensive ends William Fuller, Greg Townsend and Burt Grossman, linebacker Bill Romanowski and safety Greg Jackson. But Allen believes the key to the Eagles' success has been the system designed by Bud Carson, the defensive coordinator.

"You can take just about any good player and place him in this scheme and it would work just the same," Allen said. "If you're in the spot you're supposed to be in and not trying to do someone else's job, then it will work. Even at my position, another player can step in and do the job if he plays the scheme the way it's designed. There was only one player in all the players that we lost that I felt could single-handedly take over and turn the tide of a game, and that was Reggie White." Chiefs Could Use a Scoring Boost

The Chiefs' offense has run out of gas the last couple of weeks, and quarterback Joe Montana has been at the front of the stall. Kansas City hasn't scored a touchdown in eight quarters -- the last one coming on a touchdown pass from Montana to receiver J. J. Birden against Atlanta on Sept. 18. Montana has now thrown 92 passes without a touchdown and is flirting with a record drought that hit him 13 years ago.

During a three-game stretch that went from Nov. 15 to Dec. 6, 1981, Montana threw 111 passes without tossing a touchdown. While his current dry spell is troubling, the biggest concern for the Chiefs is their lack of production on offense. They're not moving the ball to get close enough to score, and when they do, they're not getting into the end zone.

In their first three victories, they were inside the opponents' 20-yard line 16 times and scored 8 touchdowns. In their last two losses, they've been inside the 20 only four times and scored just two field goals. The other times, they had a turnover and lost the ball on downs.

Chiefs Coach Marty Schottenheimer said last night it was "most likely" Montana would start Monday night against the Broncos. Montana has a hip and rib injury that Schottenheimer is concerned could be aggravated. The quarterback didn't practice until Friday, then shared the snaps with his backup, Steve Bono. Montana said he will play, barring re-injury.

Photo: Atlanta's Terance Mathis is leading the league in receptions (46). He can significantly add to his total when the Falcons play the 49ers this afternoon at the Georgia Dome. (Al Bello/Allsport)